About the Ueno Family Residence Miso Storehouse
The Ueno Family Residence Miso Storehouse (上野家住宅味噌蔵, Ueno-ke Jūtaku Misogura) is a single-story Dozo-zukuri storehouse built in 1879 in Matsuyama-machi Muramatsu, Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture, and was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property in 2010.
It is attached to the back of the former workshop storehouse behind the main house. The ridge runs east to west, and the building measures 7.6 by 3.8 meters, a building area of 29 square meters. That makes it the smallest of the seven structures registered on the estate.
It went up three years after the main house of 1876. On its west side it joins the Former Grain Storehouse, the start of a chain of storehouses that runs on toward the back of the plot.
Why the Ueno Family Residence Miso Storehouse Was Registered
The Ueno Family Residence Miso Storehouse was registered for its contribution to the historic landscape. The Agency for Cultural Affairs points out that it stands close to the main house's kitchen door and sees it as evidence of how a household lived in the modern era.
Kitakata City notes that many storehouses in the area were built for brewing sake, miso and soy sauce as businesses. This one is different: a small storehouse right behind the kitchen, best read as part of the family's own food supply rather than a commercial brewery. Miso, fermented soybean paste, was a staple worth a dedicated building.
What to Look For
The Ueno Family Residence Miso Storehouse has a simple pantiled roof (Sangawara-buki) sloping down on both sides of the ridge. The walls are finished in Shikkui lime plaster above a band of wooden boarding (Koshiita).
The south side has a doorway and a latticed window. Inside, the floor is bare earth and there is no ceiling, so the timber roof frame (Wagoya) is left in view. Nothing here is decorative.
Kitchen, workshop storehouse, miso storehouse: the sequence probably kept cooking and storage within a few steps of each other. The smallest building on the estate had a daily job to do.
Visiting the Ueno Family Residence Miso Storehouse
The Ueno Family Residence Miso Storehouse stands behind the main house, inside the grounds, and does not face the street.
The estate is a private home and no public opening has been announced. Please do not enter the property. For the layout of the estate and how to get there, see the Ueno Family Residence (Kitakata) page.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Fukushima
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Ueno Family Residence Miso Storehouse
- [ Aizu-Wakamatsu Castle & Ouchi-juku Village Tours ]
Q&A
- When was the Ueno Family Residence Miso Storehouse built?
- In 1879. It was registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property on September 10, 2010.
- How big is the Ueno Family Residence Miso Storehouse?
- It is a single-story earthen-walled storehouse measuring 7.6 by 3.8 meters, with a building area of 29 square meters, the smallest registered structure on the estate.
- Where is the Ueno Family Residence Miso Storehouse on the estate?
- It is attached to the back of the former workshop storehouse behind the main house, with the Former Grain Storehouse adjoining it to the west.
- What is inside the Ueno Family Residence Miso Storehouse?
- An earthen floor and no ceiling, so the timber roof frame is exposed. A doorway and a latticed window open on the south side.
- Can I visit the Ueno Family Residence Miso Storehouse?
- No public opening has been announced; it is part of a private home and stands deep inside the grounds.
Basic Information
| Name | Ueno Family Residence Miso Storehouse |
|---|---|
| Location | 2740-1 Aza Tokiwacho, Matsuyama-machi Muramatsu, Kitakata City, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Designation | Registered Tangible Cultural Property (Building) |
| Year Designated | Registered 2010 (Heisei 22) |
| Quantity | 1 building |
| Dimensions | Dozo-zukuri, single-story, tiled roof, building area 29 m² |
| Owner | Private |
| Public Access | No public opening announced (private residence) |
References
- Ueno Family Residence Miso Storehouse (Agency for Cultural Affairs database)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008249
- Ueno Family Residence Miso Storehouse (Cultural Heritage Online)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/170171
- Ueno Family Residence Main House (Agency for Cultural Affairs database)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00008248
- Overview of Kitakata's historic and cultural resources (Kitakata City, PDF)
- https://www.city.kitakata.fukushima.jp/uploaded/attachment/43016.pdf
Last verified: 2026.10.01
